Menopause, mTOR and Metabolic Flexibility: Why More Protein Isn’t Always the Answer
- Lauren Dyer
- Jul 15
- 2 min read
The menopausal transition shifts the metabolic landscape - declining oestrogen reduces insulin sensitivity, mitochondrial efficiency, and muscle mass.
As a result, women are often advised to increase protein and lift weights. While this supports muscle protein synthesis via mTORC1 activation, the long-term metabolic picture is more nuanced.
Persistent mTOR activation - driven by high-protein diets, BCAA supplements, stress, and resistance training can suppress AMPK, impair autophagy, and promote insulin resistance (Lynch & Adams, 2014; Newgard, 2012). This imbalance is often missed in midlife women who are “doing everything right” yet still experience fat gain, fatigue, anxiety, and sleep issues.
Clinical signs of suppressed AMPK or excessive mTOR:
– Central adiposity despite calorie control
– Fatigue, poor recovery, low VO₂ max
– Plateaued weight loss
– High fasting insulin or HOMA-IR
– Elevated ALT or GGT
– High triglycerides, low HDL
– Poor sleep, elevated cortisol, low DHEA
– Over-reliance on BCAA formulas or protein isolates
Supporting metabolic balance requires:
— Protein & Nutrient Cycling:
Strategic variation in protein intake, carbohydrate refeeding, and time-restricted eating, when matched to individual stress load, hormonal status, and recovery can pulse AMPK, support autophagy, and restore balance between anabolic and repair pathways.
— Exercise Programming: Resistance training paired with low-intensity cardio (e.g. zone 2) in both fasted and fed states supports mitochondrial resilience.
— Mitochondrial & Liver Support: Berberine, resveratrol, ALCAR, CoQ10, sulforaphane, taurine.
— Stress & Circadian Regulation: Cortisol dysregulation blunts AMPK and drives fat storage.
— Amino Acid Balance: Avoid excessive leucine/BCAA intake without supporting glycine, tryptophan, and methionine.
Where it goes wrong:
When strength training, high protein, low-carb diets, and stress co-exist without metabolic cycling, mTOR stays chronically elevated.
The result: poor glucose uptake, impaired liver signalling, and reduced fat oxidation.
Carbs are technically non-essential but that doesn’t make them useless.
Strategic evening carbohydrates (root veg, fruit, squash) can improve sleep, lower cortisol, and support neurotransmitter function - especially in metabolically inflexible women with anxiety, fatigue, or thyroid dysfunction.
Muscle preservation is vital in menopause - but so is repair. An exclusive focus on protein and training, without supporting mitochondrial turnover and nutrient signalling diversity, may compromise long-term metabolic and cognitive health.
—
Lauren Dyer, BSc MSc DipCLN IFMCA FNTP
Functional Nutritionist | Women’s Metabolic Health
Comments